Dispatch carrier with portable stand for order delivery to fast trains



W49 LE ROY. J. FOWLER 92, 5

DISPATCH CARRIER WITH PORTABLE STAND FQRWJRDER DELIVERY TO FAST TRAINS I Filed May 26, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

INVENTOR. gefiorlfowler Y 1949 LE ROY. J. FOWLER 2,492,854

DISPATCH CARRIER WITH PORTABLE STAND FQR ORDER DELIVERY TO FAST TRAINS 7 Filed May 26, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

' L'eflogzlfiwle r Patented Dec. 27,, l949 OFFICE ,DISPATCH CARRIER WITH PORTABLE STAND FOR ORDER DELIVERY TO FAST TRAINS Le Roy James Fowler, St. Louis, Mo.

Application May 26, 1947, Serial N 0. 750,514

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a carrier and stand for delivery of orders to fast passing trains and forms an improvement over my copending application Serial No. 710,619, filed November '18, 1946. This stand is portable and is designed to be securely but temporarily positioned, on the ground or a platformmear the railroad track. It accordingly comprises a heavily weighted tripod which carries a lightweight stafi upon which the several train orders are fastened, by means of strings connected between diverging arms, which arms are arranged at different heights. For use at night electric lights, energized from a common source, are carried on said staff to illuminate orders carried by the strings. The diverging arms terminate with a protruding lip or finger for easily detaching the string carrying the train order.

The main object of this invention is to minimize the danger connected with the delivery of train orders to a passing train. This is done to avoid accidents and injury to operators who usually have to stand close enough to a train to deliver the orders with hand hoops and as a consequence are exposed to great danger and possible injury as by falling coal, protruding objects, open car doors, and so forth.

In the drawings one embodiment of the invention is shown and Figure l is aside elevation of the invention in the form of a complete stand, erected in position for operation, carrying three separate order holders at different heights in convenient positions for the engineer on the first engine, the second engineer, if there are two, and the conductor and others if needed;

Figure 2 is a similar view of the pedestal with staff upon which the dispatch holders are carried at adjustable heights from the ground;

Figure 3 is a modified form of the invention with a set of three dispatch holders for a two engine train, in side elevation, mounted in fixed position to a wall in the office building;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the securing means for the fork and light fixture;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the battery box;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a light shade;

Figure 7 is a detail view of one of the prongs of the fork, for holding the string on a small finger at the end;

Figure 8 is a section on a plane along line 8-8 of Figure 1; and

Figure 9 is a vertical section of a lamp holder and shade.

Like numerals denote the same details in the different views.

This dispatch stand consists of two main parts namely a pedestal in the form of a tripod l and a dispatch carrier H with a set of order holders which carrier is adjustably mounted up and down on said pedestal to suit trains of different height.

The pedestal consists of a tripod having legs -I 2 secured at their upper ends to a socket l3. The lower ends of the legs are spread apart and are connected by braces M to form a seat for a ballast tank 15, which'is filled with dry sand. A plug I6 is provided for a hole in the tank through which the sand is poured in.

In the socket I3 is a straight staff I 1 secured in upright position by a screw, or screws, IS. The staff is of lightweight, preferably of aluminum, and may be about one inch in diameter and seven or seven and a half feet long. The staff is. marked off in feet and inches from the lower end upwardly.

' The dispatch carrier l I is mounted on a metal tube or sleeve 20 having a clamping member 2| at the bottom and with screws for adjustably securing the telescoping tube 20 at desired height according to the marking on the staff 11.

This tube 2|] has an inside diameter fitting over the staff 1.! for telescopic movement thereon. Near the top of the carrier tube 20, permanently fixed thereon, is shown a bracket 22 and another bracket 23 fixed near the bottom. These two brackets are fixed to support a tubular holder rod 2-! which is provided with three dispatch holders 25, '26, and 21 spaced apart in fixed relation from 88 top to bottom. In this manner a set of holders, three being shown, but more may be used, if neces sary, can be placed on the brackets 22, 23 on the sleeve 20 with the staff H.

The dispatch holders are alike, each consisting of a fork shaped structure, having two slender diverging prongs 30, 3| fixed together at the base on the holder rod 24 by the tubular stem 50 which opens at one end into the rod 24 and extends outwardly from the rod between the divergent prongs and through a cross arm 5| which cross arm extends across the space between the prongs -3! and is fixed to the prongs as clearly illustrated in Figure 4, thereby rigidly maintaining the prongs in the desired divergent relation. The forward end of the stem 50 carries a socket 52 adapted to receive an electric light bulb 29.

The tube 20 has mounted thereon a casing designed to enclose a suitable battery, not shown,

from which electric current is carried by way of.

the wires 29:]. into the tubular rod 24 and to the bulbs 29. A suitable coupling 53 is provided bei in the brackets 22, 23 locked by members 40, 4|

the train order 34 placed midway between the" fingered ends of the prongs 30, 3|. Each train order 34 is put in a slipknot in each string 32 which is stretched over the fingered ends 30a of the prongs 30, 3| and normally held taut by a spring 33 also fastened at the base of the holder rod 24.

The use of the portable dispatch stand is as follows:

With the pedestal l0 set up at a designated place, shown on the time table where high speed trains will receive the orders, the dispatch carrier is first positioned and clamped at the desired height by clamp 2| on staff H in accordance I with the marking thereon.

, Next a dispatch in the form of an order to the train -and engine crew is tied to the strings by slip, knots of the top fork 3|, 32 and the string stretched over the fingers 30a at the ends of prongs 30, 3| with the aid of the hooked springs 33, so that a taut triangle of string is formed, which carries the orders midway between the fingers 300. at the ends of the prongs 30, 3| and in the middle of the light cone 28a. from the. bulbs 29, assuming that the current from the bat tery 35 has been turned on at night. A suitable battery for this device is a six volt railroad battery. In the modification shown in Figure 3, a stationary device is illustrated intended for attachment on a wall inside of the station oflice. In this case, no pedestal is needed, but the dispatch carrier is only used and mounted to swing sideways on a pine board or fiat plate 20a nailed fast on a wall.

Accordingly all the details numbered 22 thru 33 are identical with these already described, as regards to the order carrier.

This wall fixture for the order carrier rod 24 placed on a wall in the station omce, is intended to temporarily support the holder rod, while the various train orders are being attached by the officials in the slip knot 34 of the string 32 in each pair of prongs 30, 3| preparatory to placing the holder rod 24 with forks and orders complete on the tube 20 of the delivery staff, positioned about 48 inches from the platform.

It is to be understood that the invention as herein disclosed may be varied from the details described and shown without departure from the spirit of the subioined claims.

I cl-aimz- Y s a 1. A train order holder of the character de scribed comprising a vertically mounted standard, a tubular rod detachably mounted on the standard in substantially parallel relation therewith, a pair of divergently related prongs joined together at their convergent ends by a tubular stem which extends outwardly from the convergent ends between the prongs, said stem being secured to the tubular rod, 9. cross arm secured transversely of the outer end of the stem and bridging the space between the prongs and having the prongs secured to its ends whereby the cross arm forms a brace between the prongs, said stem extending through the cross arm, an incandescent lamp socket mounted on the outer end of the stem, a tubular light projector slidably frictionally engaged on the socket and directed on a line passing outwardly between the free ends of the prongs, an incandescent lamp mounted in said socket, and means for conducting electric current through the tubular rod and said stem to the lamp socket, said prongs being adapted to support a train order carrying means between their outer ends for illumination by a light beam issuing from the outer end of the projector.

2. A train order holder of the character described in claim 1, with a battery casing mounted upon-said standard and an electric current conductor detachably coupled with said casing and extending therefrom through the tubular rod to said stem.

LE ROY JAMES FOWLER.

, REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

